Saint Peter’s Church
Architects / Hugh Stubbins and W. Easley Hamner
Designers / Lella and Massimo Vignelli
Building Completed / 1977
Landmarked / 2016
Architecture
New York City Landmark Saint Peter’s Church (1977, designated 2016) is the work of architects Hugh Stubbins and Easley Hamner and designers Lella and Massimo Vignelli. Beloved by many and one of the finest examples of late mid-century modernism, the interior becomes eligible for designation on the National Register of Historic Places in 2027. A team of preservationists guided the 2020 restoration already following the guidelines of the United States Department of the Interior, with attention to modernist details characteristically under-appreciated by most.
The current urban complex stretches the entire city block between Lexington and Third Avenues and 53rd and 54th Streets and includes an office tower, an atrium, a public plaza, a low-rise office building and the church building. While integrated, the Sanctuary is free-standing. Saint Peter’s Church is intended as a place of hospitality and welcome, an affirmation of God’s work in midtown Manhattan.
Design
The design of the building is by Lella and Massimo Vignelli. The exterior, as well as the interior floor and baptismal font, are of Caledonia granite. The exterior granite cladding was re-caulked and the distinctive skylight system replaced during the restoration in 2022. Both projects, not a result of the water main break but necessary due to failure or their useful life cycle, have the support of the National Fund for Sacred Spaces, the New York City Landmarks Conservancy and other leading preservationists.
The interior employs red oak, steel and a consistent beige paint schema. All furnishings, including those that are in some way fixed, are also moveable or modular in order to facilitate a variety of arrangements.
The Vignellis wanted the space to serve beyond its normal liturgical functions. The church doubles as a concert hall, theater and conference hall. Just as Saint Peter’s serves a dynamic array of people, the building had to mirror this effort with groundbreaking flexibility. The interior offers features a brand-new digital sound system to support everything from jazz and latin music to speech and cutting-edge sound-scapes.